Display-rack.



I. LESEM.

DISPLAY RACK.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.19, 1910.

Patented J an. 14,1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

jzzaeiz,

Ive to Attorneys I. LESEM.

DISPLAY RACK.

APPLICATION TILED DEC.19. 1910.

1,050,671 Patented Jan.14,1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

--"-1 :IIIIIIIIIIIIJ Il". I

Zia/5%,

Inventor by W Attorneys COLUMBM PLANOGRAPH 60.. WASHINGTON. D4 c ISIDOR LESEM, OF WICl-IITA, KANSAS.

DISPLAY-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1913.

Application filed December 19, 1910. Serial No. 597,998.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lemon LnsEM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wichita, in the county of Sedgwick and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Display-Rack, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a novel display rack designed particularly for the support and display of lace, neckties, and other merchandise of a similar nature which is liable to be materially injured by dust.

More specifically speaking, the invention contemplates the provision of a display rack so constructed that the articles supported thereby will be normally inclosed in a transparent casing which is practically dust proof inasmuch as it is closed on all sides with the exception of its lower end. The article supporting means proper, of the device, is arranged in this casing in such manner that it may be lowered to position at the lower open end of the casing thereby permitting of the merchandise supported by the rack being brought within easy reach of a customer and in position where it may be readily removed from the rack.

A further object of the invention is to provide a display rack constructed as above briefly described and in which the article sup; porting means proper may be rotated to pre sent the articles of merchandise supported thereby, successively before the customer. 1

The invention further aims to provide, in a display rack constructed as above described, an article supporting device including radially adjustable arms, the arms being independently adjustable so that they may be arranged in various ways to suit the taste of the salesman or merchant.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of a display rack embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional View therethrough on the line 22 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows. Fig. 8 is a detail Vertical sectional view through a portion of the article supporting device of the rack. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of one of the heads of this device. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a portion of the other head thereof, a part being shown in section. Fig. 6 is a detail plan View of a portion of one of the article supporting arms.

In the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates the body of a casing and this body is preferably cylindrical and is transparent, it being formed of celluloid, glass, or some other suitable transparent material. At its lower end, the casing is open and is strengthened by a binding band 11, it being closed at its upper end by a top or head 12 and strength-- ened by a band 13 similar to the band 11. A standard 14 is secured axially through the head 12 with its upper end projecting above the head to such a distance as to permit of the attachment of any suitable suspension means, and its lower end terminating immediately above the plane of the lower end of the body 10. For a purpose to be presently explained, the said standard, at its said lower end, is provided with an outstanding flange 15.

The article supporting means includes, in its structure, a sleeve 16 which is slidably and rotatably fitted upon the standard 1 1 and at its upper end is formed with a slot 17 similar to an ordinary bayonet slot. The standard 14, at a point directly below the head 12, is provided with a stud 18 designed to engage in the slot 17, when the article supporting means is in the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing and support this means in elevated position within the casing. Two or more screws or pins 19 are removably secured through the sleeve at its upper end, preferably at opposite points, and when properly adjusted, have their inner ends nearly in contact with the standard 14. At this point it will be readily understood that should the lower portion of the sleeve 16 be grasped and the sleeve so manipulated as to disengage the stud 18 from the slot 17 the sleeve may be slid downwardly upon the standard 14 until its screws or pins 19 rest upon the flange 15. hen so positioned, the sleeve may be rotated upon the standard 14:. It will be understood of course that the sleeve is of such internal diameter that it may readily slip over the flange 15, the screws or pins 19 preventing complete disengagement of the sleeve from the standard. However, should it at any time be desired to remove the sleeve from the standard, the screws or pins 19 may be removed and the sleeve then slipped off from the standard. The advantages derived from these features of construction will presently be fully explained.

Secured upon the sleeve 16 is a head 20 which is formed with concentric upstanding flanges 21 and 22, the flange 22 being preferably located at the periphery of the head.

and the flange 21 inwardly thereof. The said flanges 21 and 22 are formed with radially alined notches 23. The head 20 is further formed, between the flanges, with radially extending slots 24 and these slots are alternated with the radially alined notches. In other words, each slot extends radially between adjacent pairs of the notches in the flanges 21 and 22. A head 25 is disposed upon the head 20 and is secured in place thereon by means of bolts and nuts 26. For a purpose which will be presently made clear, the head 25 is formed upon its under side with an annular series of spreaders 27, each in the form of a wedge-shaped lug preferably elliptical in cross section, although the lugs may be conoidal in form if desired. These spreaders 27 are equal in number to the slots 2 1, each being designed to project at its apex into or through one of the said slots, when the head 25 is fixed upon the head 20 in the position shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The two heads 20 and 25 are designed to hold between them the article supporting arms of the device. Each of these arms is formed, preferably, from a single length of wire bent at a point mid way between its ends to form loops or eyes 28 and inwardly of and between these loops or eyes 28, an eye 29, the adjacent sides of the loops 28 being preferably in contact and constituting a normally closed throat or entrance to the eye 29. However, it will be understood that inasmuch as the wire from which the arm is formed, is resilient, the loops 28 may be slightly spread to admit an article of merchandise to be engaged in the eye 29. Beyond the loops 28, the portions of the wire are extended in straight lines and converge toward their extremities. Thus, each of the article supporting arms includes spaced portions 30 which may be fitted in adjacent pairs of the notches 23 in the flanges 21 and 22 and will then extend along opposite sides of the slots 24 which lie between the said notches. lVith a number of the arms thus assembled at their inner ends between the heads 20 and 25, the spreaders 27 will project between and spread the portions of the arms 30 extending between the flanges 21 and 22. This spreading of these portions will result in a binding of the same in the notches 23 and as a result, the arms will be securely held in place.

It will be readily understood that by loosening the nuts and bolts 26, the head 25 may be slightly raised and the arms i11- dependently adjusted to project a greater or less distance from the peripheries of the heads. Thus, certain of the arms may be adjusted to project a considerable distance from the said peripheries of the heads and others to project a less distance therefrom. Also it will be readily understood that the arms may be selectively removed. It will be apparent by referring to Fig. 6 of the drawings, that a sample one of a number of like articles of merchandise to be supported by any one of the arms, may be engaged in the eye 29 of the said armand inasmuch as it will in this position be nearer the customer, than any other of the articles supported by the said arm, it may be more readily inspected and a selection can be made by the customer without the necessity of handling several of the articles. Thus, but one of any number of like articles need be subjected to shop wear. Also it will be understood from the foregoing that while normally the articles supported by the arms above described, are suspended within and inclosed by the casing previously described. when it is desired to submit the articles for closer inspection by a customer, the sleeve may be grasped and the article supporting means lowered until its screws 19 rest upon the flange at the lower end of the standard.

hat is claimed is:

In a device of the class described, cooperating heads, one head being provided with spaced, projecting flanges equipped with alined notches, there being an opening in said head between the flanges; an articlesupport including spaced parts registering for longitudinal sliding movement in the notch-es; means for connecting the heads; there being a spreader upon the other head registering in the opening to aline the heads to receive said means, the spreader being wedge-shaped. and being engaged between said parts to bulge the same between the flanges and to hold the support in adjusted positions along its line of longitudinal sliding movement.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto a'llixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ISIDOlt LESEM.

Witnesses V. P. BROMEH, G. M. lVIirrNnY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

